ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Railways
Booking of tickets for 200 Trains which are being introduced wef 01st June, in full swing
As on 22nd May 2020 at 20:14 hours, all 200 trains are available in system booking
652644 tickets booked online for these trains having 1413277 passengers since yesterday
These 200 special services shall be in addition to the existing Shramik special trains being run since 01st May and Special AC trains  being run since 12th May 2020
Ministry of Railways  in consultation with Ministry of Health & Family welfare  and Ministry of Home Affairs has decided that train services on Indian Railways shall be further partially restored w.e.f. from 01st June 2020.
Indian Railways will start operations of 200 daily passenger trains across the country. These trains shall run from 1 June 2020 and booking of all these trains commenced from 21 May 2020. These special services shall be in addition to the existing Shramik special trains being run since 01st May and Special AC trains  being run since 12th May 2020.
Online Booking of tickets for these trains is being done through IRCTC website or through Mobile App. Indian Railways has also allowed booking of reservation tickets through the reservation counters, Common Service Centers and Ticketing agents yesterday i.e. 21st May 2020 .
Booking of tickets for these trains started from 21st May and as on 22nd May 2020 at 20:14 hours, all the 200 trains were available in system for booking and 652644 online tickets were booked for these trains having 1413277 passengers.
Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas
High level Committee Submits its report; Recommends Strategy to reduce import dependency
The High-Level Committee  constitutedby the Government of India to examine the issues relating to preparation of action plan to create synergy among R&D Centres of Oil & Gas PSUs; tax issues and ways to benefit from GST by the Oil & Gas PSUs today submitted its report to the Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Sh Dharmendra Pradhan here today.The HLC, consisting of Dr. Anil Kakodkar, eminent Scientist and Shri Sidharth Pradhan, an expert on financial and tax issues, also looked into merger, acquisition and consolidation of Oil & Gas PSUs and the Joint Ventures; explored the need and possibility of formation of new entity dealing with oil services and supply of qualified manpower to Oil & Gas sector around the world.
Energy security is a key strategic priority for India.During 2018, India consumed 204.92 MMT petroleum products and 58.64 BCM natural gas whereas the domestic production of crude oil and natural gas has almost stagnated. The import dependency of crude oil and LNG during the year was 82.59% and 45.89% respectively which is likely to increase in days to come. During 2018, petroleum import  was 23.42% of total gross import  of the nation. India’s projected oil demand is going to grow at CAGR 4% during 2016-2030 against the world average of 1% though the projected oil demand will be much lower as compared to the US and China. India is thus at very precarious situation and to secure its energy needs in sustainable manner, out-of-box solutions are needed. R&D is going to play an important role in the process.
The HLC, in the process visited, different R&D and training institutes of different oil & gas PSUs. It also engaged with CMDs/ senior executives of the Oil sector to understand the business, challenges and opportunities in the sector before writing its recommendations. The Committee has recommended short term, medium term and long term strategiesin the report, clearly bringing out the strategy to reduce the import dependency of the nation.
Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas will consider the recommendations submitted by the Committee while formulating policies in the said matter.
Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying
Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying organizes awareness Programme across the country for awareness on zoonotic disease and the risks associated with zoonotic disease on World Zoonosis
Department is implementing National Animal Disease Control Programm a flagship scheme: Ms. Alka Upadhyaya
Ms. Alka Upadhyaya says that department is providing veterinary service at farmer's doorstep through Mobile Veterinary Units to minimize socio-economic losses
As part of Aazadi Ka Amrit Mahostav, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying organized an awareness Programme on zoonotic disease through Common Service Centres network. More than 1.5 lac farmers participated the awareness programme across the country connected through CSC Network.
Ms. Alka Upadhyaya, Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying addressed the farmers and emphasized the risks associated with zoonotic disease and its impact on livestock sector and national economy. She highlighted that Department is implementing National Animal Disease Control Programme , a flagship scheme launched by Prime Minister in September 2019 for control of two major prevailing zoonotic disease Le. Foot & Mouth Disease and Brucellosis by vaccinating 100% buffalo, sheep, goat and pig population for FMD and 100% bovine female calves of 4-8 months of age for brucellosis. Department is also assisting States/UTs for vaccination against zoonotic diseases like anthrax and rabies and 'Control of Emergent and Exotic Diseases. To minimize socio economical losses, Department is providing veterinary service at farmer's doorstep through Mobile Veterinary Units  for disease diagnosis, treatment, minor surgeries and awareness in care & management of diseased animals etc. Secretary, AHD reiterated that the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying stands committed to work with all the stakeholders for delivering the Quality Services at Farmers' Doorstep and to Increase availability/accessibility of better veterinary health services to minimize economic losses due to animal diseases.
She also highlighted the significance of the "One Health" concept in addressing the risk associated with zoonotic diseases in the current scenario. She gave a brief about the zoonotic disease; vaccination programmes and the schemes being implemented by the Department for eradication and control of the economically important diseases and other emergent and exotic diseases.
Attendees were given complete information about "Risks and Prevention of Zoonosis" and "Prevention and Control of Rabies" through presentations by department officials.
Prime Minister's Office
Kashi awaits everyone and it will mesmerise all those who visit: PM
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, responded to a tweet by a citizen who had listed 10 reason to visit Kashi.
The Prime Minister tweeted :
"I agree 😀 but I’ll also add that the number of reasons go well beyond 10.
Kashi awaits everyone and it will mesmerise all those who visit."
Ministry of Women and Child Development
Measures for Growth Monitoring of Children and Improving Facilities at Anganwadi Centres
Government has developed a digital platform, "POSHAN Tracker", to promote real time data with analytics. 12.27 lakh Anganwadi centres across the country are uploading data on POSHAN Tracker and approximately 9.84 crore beneficiaries including children up to 6 years of age, adolescent girls, pregnant women and Lactating Mothers are registered on POSHAN Tracker. Till date 11.03 lakh smart phones and 11.94 lakh Growth Monitoring Devices  have been procured by State/UTs under POSHAN Abhiyaan. The Anganwadi Workers periodically measure height and weight of children upto the age of 6 years and upload in POSHAN Tracker. To promote regular growth monitoring of children up to 6 years Anganwadi Workers are being incentivised with Rs. 500/per month.
Improvement in the facilities of Anganwadi centres is a continuous process for which various steps have been taken from time to time for improving the condition of Anganwadi centres across the country. Following measures have been taken for improving facilities at Anganwadi Centres :
 Revised joint guidelines were issued by Ministries of Women & Child Development, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj for construction of 4 lakh AWC buildings across the country under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme  in convergence with Anganwadi Services .
 Under Swachhta Action Plan, Rs.10,000/-per AWC is provided for drinking water facilities and Rs.12,000/-per AWC for toilet facilities.
 Grants are sanctioned for purchase of water filter, furniture, equipment, etc.
 Anganwadi Workers  have been provided with Smart Phones for efficient service delivery.
 Streamlined guidelines were issued on 13.01.2021, covering several aspects such as quality assurance, roles and responsibilities of duty holders, procedure for procurement, integrating AYUSH concepts and Data management and Monitoring through ‘POSHAN Tracker’ for transparency, efficiency and accountability in delivery of Supplementary Nutrition.
This information was given by the Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Power
NTPC Group records a double-digit growth of 13.3% in generation in 2nd Quarter
NTPC coal stations maintains high availability 94.21 % during April to Sept’20 as against 90.26% during the same period last year
NTPC Group companies under Ministry of Power, recorded a double-digit growth of 13.3% in generation in 2nd Quarter from July to September 2020, compared to the same period last year. Group generation in first half of the current financial year from April to September 2020, was 145.87 BU, higher by 0.4% than the same period last year.
As per a statement issued by NTPC Ltd., NTPC coal stations have maintained high availability of 94.21 % during April to Sept’20 as against 90.26 % during the same period last year, demonstrating high levels of operational excellence.
With a total installed capacity of 62.9 GW, NTPC Group has 70 Power stations comprising of 24 Coal, 7 combined cycle Gas/Liquid Fuel, 1 Hydro, 13 Renewables along with 25 Subsidiary & JV Power Stations.
Ministry of Finance
Delhi Customs seize 5.85 kg cocaine, the biggest at any airport in India, on 6th April 2022 night
In past six months, Delhi Airport Customs seized 33.70 kg of Heroin and 12.60 kg Cocaine at IGI Airport
35 cases booked by Customs at IGI Airport, with street value of drug seized at Rs. 887.35 crore and 34 passengers arrested in 2021-22 alone
The Delhi Airport Customs seized 5.85 kg cocaine, the biggest at any airport in India, on 6th April 2022 night at the IGI International Airport. The seizure last night by the Delhi Customs signifies the fight carried out by the Indian Customs against the menace of drugs.
5.85 kg cocaine was seized by Delhi Customs at IGI Airport on 6th April 2022.
Continuous flow from source countries have made drug accessibility easy. IGI Airport, being the premier Capital airport of the country receives lakhs of passengers annually, some of whom are actively operating as drugs carriers. Customs at IGI Airport is waging a relentless fight against such carriers and their handlers.
In the past six months, Customs at the IGI Airport alone has booked no less than 16 cases under NDPS Act, the highest number at any airport in the Country. In the process, almost 33.70 kg of Heroin and 12.60 kg of Cocaine has been seized from International passengers, mostly nationals of African origin. For the entire 2021-22, 35 cases booked by Customs at IGI Airport, with a street value of drugs estimated at Rs. 887.35 crore. 34 passengers have also been arrested in the process.
Two distinct modus operandi have been observed in these seizures. Some of the passengers pack the drugs inside latex capsules, which are then swallowed by them in order to get past Customs officers easily at the Airport. Later, they eject these capsules after consuming laxatives, running a great risk to their own lives. This modus operandi is not only very difficult to detect, but also very difficult to retrieve. The suspected passengers need to be admitted to government hospitals, where the extraction is conducted under medical supervision. This process often takes 4 to 5 days, sometimes longer. Needless to add, these passengers are kept constantly under strict observation and guarded day-and-night by the Customs officers, at great risk to their own lives due to COVID-19 pandemic. The seizure of narcotics drugs at the airport is just the beginning of a tough, long legal battle that ensues later.
In the second method, the drug is concealed in specially made cavities in the hand-baggage or Checked-in baggage being carried by the passengers. Such cases are detected by the combined use of the Customs Canine Squad and High-resolution X-ray. Both these modus operandi have been detected at IGI Airport. The expanding market and the remunerative lucrativeness has ensured that there is no reduction in the relentless flow of drugs attempted to be smuggled into India though the airports.
Ministry of Finance
Union Finance Minister to engage with Chief Ministers, Lt. Governors of Union Territories and State Finance Ministers on Monday
Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman to engage with Chief Ministers of States, their State Finance Ministers and Lt. Governors of Union Territories via virtual conference mode on Monday, 15th November, 2021.
Secretaries of Government of India Line Ministries, Chief Secretaries and Finance Secretaries of States will also be joining the conference.
Growth had slowed down in the COVID-19 pandemic. However, after the first quarter of the current fiscal, the economy has picked up again with green shoots of recovery clearly visible. Several economy indicators are now at pre-pandemic levels. Projections of IMF and World Bank peg India’s GDP growth to about 9.5% and 8.3% respectively, as one of the fastest growing economies.
While the investor sentiment is good, there is a need to capitalise on the momentum already created. First four months of FY 2021-22 have already witnessed inflows of $64 billion Foreign Direct Investment . Government of India  in its Union Budget 2021-22 has given further impetus to inflow of foreign investment capital through streamlining procedures, removing roadblocks and providing necessary incentives.
The Finance Minister seeks to embark on a collaborative growth vision for the Nation and encourage an open exchange of ideas centered on enhancing the investment climate of the country. The envisaged interaction will attempt to create a policy discourse and a facilitative environment for inward investment-led growth. This will be enabled by a pro-active approach to investment promotion, efficiencies brought about by Ease of Doing Business reforms, and an emphasis on accelerating approvals and clearances up to Urban Local Bodies  levels.
Through the interaction, the States may share their ideas and vision for enhancing the investment climate, leading to a broad consensus regarding the trajectory to be undertaken for India to become the fastest growing economy.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
India USTR Talks Held in New Delhi
A delegation led by Assistant United States Trade Representative Christopher Wilson visited India on 11-12 July 2019 to explorepotential for enhanced bilateral trade and economic engagement with Indiaunder the new Government. The delegation held bilateral talks on 12 July2019 with the Indian delegation led by Sanjay Chadha, AdditionalSecretary, Department of Commerce, which included senior officials fromother Government of India Ministries.
The meeting was cordial and aimed at providing a new impetus tobilateral trade and commercial ties, in line with the mandate given by PrimeMinister Narendra Modi and the US President Donald Trump during their meeting at Osaka, Japanon 28 June 2019.
Both sides discussed the broad contours of bilateral trade and commercial ties and agreed to continue their discussions for achievingmutually beneficial outcomes aimed at further growing the economicrelationship and addressing mutual trade concerns.
AUSTR also called on the Commerce Secretary and Commerce & Industry Minister during the visit.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
7th Meeting of the Joint Trade Committee between India and Myanmar
The 7th Joint Trade Committee Meeting between India and Myanmar was held through virtual mode on 24th November 2020. The Meeting was co-chaired by Dr. Than Myint, Union Minister for Ministry of Commerce, Myanmar and Shri Piyush Goyal, Commerce and Industry Minister of India. During the consultations, both sides reviewed various bilateral issues ranging from trade, investment, banking, connectivity, capacity building and upgradation of border infrastructure. Both sides reviewed their preparedness to meet the COVID-19 challenges and expanding cooperation in pharma and health sector including traditional medicines.
Shri Piyush Goyal highlighted the strong cultural and commercial ties between India and Myanmar and the priority India attaches to its partnership with Myanmar in accordance with India’s ‘Neighborhood First’ and ‘Act East’ policies. He reiterated India’s commitment in enhancing its multifaceted cooperation with Myanmar, in several areas including trade and investment, Oil & Gas, Power, Insurance, Pharmaceutical and Infrastructure and expressed satisfaction on the increased investments by India in Myanmar in these sectors. Both sides acknowledged that mutual benefit exists in collaboration and cooperation amongst oil and gas companies of India and Myanmar especially in the field of petroleum products and refining.
Both countries agreed that the current level of bilateral trade is not reflective of the actual potential and expressed commitment in strengthening their economic partnership by facilitating enhanced sectoral collaborations and trade promotion. They also reviewed the status of connectivity projects and scaling up the infrastructure at the border for strengthening trade. Both sides expressed appreciation at the finalization of the Project Agreement on the establishment of a modern Integrated Check Post  at Tamu  under Indian grant-in-aid that would enhance bilateral connectivity and trade and agreed to work closely for early establishment of border haats for the benefit of the local communities and promote people to people connect.
The meeting concluded with both countries expressing satisfaction over the commendable strides made in bilateral economic ties in the last few years and reiterated their commitment to further strengthening the trade and investment ties. Shri Goyal also extended an invitation to Dr. Than Myint for the next Joint Trade Committee meeting scheduled to be held in India in 2021.
PIB Headquarters
AG handed over audit report on public sector undertakings to state government
The Audit Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on Public Sector Undertaking  of the year ended 31 March 2017; Government of Gujarat has been handed over to the State Government on 05 Jun 2018.
J.Khunt/RP
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PIB Headquarters
CISF-PREMIER SECURITY FORCE OF THE COUNTRY –ANJANA SINHA, DIRECTOR, NISA
A colourful ceremonial parade was held on the occasion of the passing parade of 604 trainees of 28th Batch of constable/Fire basic course at Fire Service Training Institute  premier fire and disaster management institute of Central Industrial Security Force CISF here today at Hakimpet
Smt .Anjana Sinha IPS, Director, National Industrial Security Academy  was the Chief Guest on this occasion and reviewed the colourful ceremonial Dikshant Parade. Speaking on this occasion Smt Anjana Sinha said that CISF Is a premier security force of the county and recounted the glorious past of CISF. She applauded the services of CISF in all areas wherever it was deployed and expressed her satisfaction. In 2017, FSTI was awarded the finest India Skills & Talent  award by Fire and Security Association of India, she added.
She exhorted the trainees to uphold the legacy of CISF and the Constitution, and to perform their duties with sincerity, devotion and integrity. She also congratulated the Academy on being recognised as a Centre of Excellence in the field of industrial security management by the Government of India.
S K Mallick, DIG, Principal- CISF FSTI, NISA delivered the welcome address and presented a report on training activities of the Academy. He complimented trainee officers for their dedication and hoped that rigorous training imparted at the Academy would make them stand in good stead in their professional career.
Smt.Sinha distributed the prizes to the trainees who had shown exemplary performance in their training programme. Fire and rescue services personnel demonstrated tactful methods of putting off fire in a mock drill. Brigade also demonstrated series of life saving methods adopted while tackling fire accidents.
CISF demonstrations on fire fighting, various rope rescue methods  CBRN decontamination etc enthralled the audience.
NITI Aayog
India ranked in the top 50 nations in the Global Innovation Index
India has climbed 4 spots and has been ranked 48thby the World Intellectual Property Organization in the Global Innovation Index 2020 rankings. In midst of the Covid -19 pandemic, it comes as an uplifting news for India, and is a testament of its robust R&D Ecosystem. India was at the 52nd position in 2019 and was ranked 81st in the year 2015. It is a remarkable achievement to be in a league of highly innovative developed nations all over the globe. The WIPO had also accepted India as one of the leading innovation achievers of 2019 in the central and southern Asian region, as it has shown a consistent improvement in its innovation ranking for the last 5 years.
The consistent improvement in the global innovation index rankings is owing to the immense knowledge capital, the vibrant startup ecosystem, and the amazing work done by the public & private research organizations. The scientific ministries like the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Biotechnology and the Department of space have played a pivotal role in the enriching the national innovation Ecosystem.
The NITI Aayog has been working tirelessly to ensure optimization of national efforts in this direction by bringing policy led innovation in different areas such as EVs, biotechnology, Nano technology, Space, alternative energy sources, etc. The India Innovation Index, which was released last year by the NITI Aayog, has been widely accepted as the major step in the direction of decentralization of innovation across all the states of India. A constant thrust in monitoring and evaluating India’s position in global rankings has be provided by the NITI Aayog, including the global innovation index.
India must aim high and double its efforts in improving its ranking in the global innovation index. The call for Aatma Nirbhar Bharat by the Hon’ble Prime Minister could only be realized if India punches above its weight class and compete with global superpowers in developing scientific interventions. It is time that India brings a paradigm shift and aims to be in the top 25 countries in the next global innovation index rankings.
VRRK/KP
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